State of the Union 2018 Poll

Following a year of headline news coming from the White House, (most) eyes were on President Trump as he delivered his first State of the Union Address on January 30.

In order to capture a quick pulse on reactions, we took to Facebook to poll nearly 1,000 of our 20|20 Panel page followers after the State of Union Address. Fully 7 in 10 watched at least some of the address, with 15% who did not watch but relied on commentary after it to form their opinions.

Overall opinions of Trump’s performance are positive and sharply polarized. Nearly half (49%) of respondents give President Trump an “A” or “B” grade when it comes to uniting the country with his speech, with another 23% who give him an “F.” Similarly, a plurality (43%) had an overall positive reaction to President Trump’s speech (32% “negative”). Unlike what the polarized opinions may suggest, when asked about their political ideologies, most (29%) of the respondents considered themselves “moderates” (21% “somewhat conservative”, 20% “somewhat liberal”, 14% “very conservative”, 12% “very liberal”, 4% “unsure”).

Over a third of respondents (35%) believe President Trump deserves a “great deal” of credit for the current state of jobs and the economy, fully 11 points higher than those who said he deserves no credit at all (26%).

And finally, what was missing from the speech? Most respondents (46%) pointed at healthcare as the top issue they wish President Trump had addressed in more depth, followed by taxes and government spending (25%).

*** This non-scientific poll was conducted online from January 31 – February 1, 2018 via Facebook.com and provides only a quick snapshot of reactions from 996 followers of 20|20 Panel.